“Ecofriendly” Tourism, “slow” food and “green” economy: words only apparently far from the most outspoken Tuscan vernacular, but actually rooted for centuries in the system of rational consumption of local resources. A beautiful region, Tuscany, but especially careful and attentive to the enhancement and preservation of the environment.

This sensitivity towards nature, spread a little everywhere on territory reserved to Tuscany the 4th place among Italian carbon neutral regions. The ranking IGE 2013 is clear: Tuscany boasts an excellent location and perhaps the merit is to be found even in small artisan who defend and pass on earth friendly philosophies of production.

This green journey begins with a visit to the community cooperative Filo&Fibra that enhances and promotes the territory by studying and implementing projects that aim to revive tradition in an innovative and green key.

To characterize with warm tones and unmistakable fragrances the surroundings of San Miniato a small violet flower with a heart … golden.. Saffron is a spice that the farm Crocus & Smilace has turned into full time work that doesn’t use machinery, but only the ability of patients and delicate hands.

A little further on in Lari, a small town in the hills of Pisa, the cult of genuine food and of short production chain has become the trade. The Martelli pasta factory boasts a family tree with master pasta makers since 1926. What is the secret of a flavored pasta, so different from the industrial one? The simplest details: the quality of the flour, water (always cold!), the bronze drawing, the drying process (slow and at low temperatures) and finally the packaging by hand. Here too, yellow is the protagonist: spaghetti, fusilli and rigatoni are sold in the traditional yellow paper, just as before.

Proceeding towards the coast, the wool of Garfagnana, Amiata and Sardinia intertwine on the chassis of Laura de Cesare, a weaver of small works of art in fabric. Here too the processing is carefully handmade and makes use of fine fibers, often of ancient tradition and from short distribution chain. Laura studies with passion the ancient fabrics, natural dyes and ideas to develop new artistic and experimental ones.
Hats off also to those who have absorbed all the way down the principle of “do not throw anything away”: Altroprogetto is an eco-design laboratory that gives new life to the carton, creating absolutely innovative and original furnishings. At the end of this journey, in a flurry of lovely images of Pisa and its province, a profound message that binds all these artisans of nature remains as sharp as ever: artistic research is also respect and understanding of the world in which we live.